


if we take the time to find the silver lining

by stuttervoice



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-14
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2018-05-26 16:16:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6246895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stuttervoice/pseuds/stuttervoice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kuroko is a simple faerie living peacefully with his court. However, when one of the other faeries draws the attention of the Rakuzan Clan, Kuroko winds up in the hands of an elf named Akashi Seijuurou</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. they don't know our hearts (pt.1)

**Author's Note:**

> who am i

“Tetsuya!”

Tetsuya looks up and is greeted by the sight of Himuro running toward him, looking a little frazzled and out of breath. “Is something wrong, Himuro-kun?” Tetsuya asks, concerned. When he focuses on Himuro, though, he doesn’t feel any negative emotions, just exhaustion.

Himuro smiles wearily, taking a parchment out of his bag and handing it to Tetsuya. “I’m fine, just tired. Shuu’s not coming back for a while, so you know how it is. Anyway, you’ve got a letter from Midorima-kun,” he explains, pausing to wipe sweat off his forehead. He leans down and ruffles Tetsuya’s hair, chuckling as he does so. “See you later, Tetsuya.”

Tetsuya manages to catch Himuro’s hand and say a quick spell before he’s on his way again, and he watches him leave with slight amusement. Himuro has made it a habit to ruffle his hair before he leaves, letting his magic leak out of his fingers and surround Tetsuya as a temporary protective charm against malicious spirits. Tetsuya has always said that it won’t do much, but he appreciates it anyway. In return, Tetsuya places a stronger charm on Himuro to protect him while he’s running his routes.

Himuro, like Tetsuya, is a faerie. They’re part of a court of faeries that live in the southern part of an enchanted forest. Their court is ruled by the Faerie Queen, Masako Araki, who is a strong, rather ruthless faerie. Even though their court is comprised mostly of faeries, an honorary spot has been given to Nijimura Shuuzou, who is actually a rogue shapeshifter. Though he often goes off on his own, he will come back to the court if there’s ever trouble. He also sometimes acts as a messenger, like Himuro.

Tetsuya plays quite a few roles in the court. He’s the healer, mediator, and also a ‘witch’ of sorts. He is not a full-fledged witch nor even partly, but he does craft protective charms and different kinds of potions. To put it more simply, he has an affinity for magic.

Himuro, on the other hand, is a messenger and a warrior. His prowess lies in physical things; although, as you can tell, he does know how to cast simple charms. Himuro likes to cast on Tetsuya often as a way to show him affection, but Tetsuya doesn’t need them to know how much Himuro cares about him.

Himuro was Tetsuya’s first friend in Yousen. Despite the many displays of affection, no romantic feelings exist between them. Tetsuya will leave romantic endeavors with Himuro to the pretty faerie’s many admirers.

Tetsuya, as a faerie, is relatively sociable, but not as much as the others. Despite his ability to be able to read someone’s emotions, he often finds himself staying quiet and observing more often than not. He’s the in-between, he supposes. On one hand there are faeries like Alexandra Garcia, who will read someone’s emotions and try to sway them into a good mood if they’re upset or be happy with them if they’re joyful; and on the other hand there are faeries like Hanamiya Makoto, who will more often than not manipulate someone’s emotions for mischief or malice.

Though Masako has reprimanded Hanamiya for his behavior more than once, Hanamiya will still do as he pleases. It irks Tetsuya, but there isn’t anything he can do. After all, Hanamiya is brilliant, and a vital part of the court. What he does for entertainment can’t be helped. 

Tetsuya shakes those thoughts out of his mind and decides to read Midorima’s letter. He’s surprised that the satyr has bothered to contact him; other than both of them being healers, they don’t have much in common. While they are friends of a sort, Midorima doesn’t reach out to him very often.

When he unrolls the parchment, he sees that the letter is relatively short and straightforward.

_Kuroko,_

_I wanted to give you a forewarning. A friend of mine who is an elf will be arriving at your court on the sixteenth day of the month, precisely at noon. He wishes to discuss how Hanamiya-san manipulated one of his clansmen. The only reason why I am warning you is because he is rather… intense._

_—Midorima Shintarou_

Tetsuya blinks in astonishment and then rereads the letter. When he’s done, he stands quickly and runs out of his small house. There is only one elf clan in the area, and he shivers just thinking of them.

_Rakuzan._

* * *

 

_“What?”_

Tetsuya repeats what he’s just said, still kneeling before Masako. “I’m sorry, Masako-sama,” he apologizes after finishing. “I had no idea until Midorima-kun sent me this letter.”

Masako waves off his apology, growling to herself. “That damned Hanamiya,” she grumbles, her large, intricately patterned wings fluttering in agitation behind her. The lines on her wings are royal purple, with everything else being transparent. The flowers blooming from her wings are white magnolia flowers. Though fairy wings seem fragile and easily breakable, they’re actually quite resilient and will grow back within a year if they’re torn off. 

Tetsuya would know.

“I can’t believe he messed with the Rakuzan Clan. If I have to deal with Shirogane…” She grounds her teeth together in annoyance, hitting her wooden staff against the wall. Before she became queen, she used to have a sword, but now she uses an heirloom wooden staff with magical properties. It’s plain, ridden of its past decorations, because Masako normally uses it to hit things… or people. Like Haizaki.

“Pardon me if I’m wrong, but Midorima-kun said his friend is coming over, and I don’t think he’s friends with Shirogane-sama, so you most likely don’t have to worry about that,” Tetsuya explains, folding up the parchment and placing it in his belt.

Masako sighs in relief. “Thank the spirits for that. Well, whatever. I’ll deal with Hanamiya right now, but you wait for the elf tomorrow, alright?” Tetsuya nods. “Good. You’re dismissed.”

Tetsuya stands and bows before taking his leave. The afternoon sunlight slants through the mosaic windows of the throne room, and he admires the beauty of it yet again. Every time he enters the throne room, he’s always caught off-guard by its beauty.

He has a fascination with beautiful things.

* * *

 

“Hanamiya-san really did that?” Himuro asks, surprised, as he and Tetsuya eat dinner later that day. Tetsuya nods, taking another bite of his bread. Himuro shakes his head. “He’s really put our court in a bad spot. Hopefully Masako-san will be able to clear this up before war breaks out.”

Tetsuya frowns to himself, shoulders lowering slightly. He doesn’t want another war. He still has nightmares about the one twenty years ago. Noticing his discouraged expression, Himuro quickly backtracks. “But war probably won’t break out, Tetsuya! I mean, despite everything, Masako-san and Shirogane-san are relatively good friends, so…” He trails off when he notices his reassurance isn’t working. With a sigh, he reaches over and ruffles Tetsuya’s hair affectionately. “Don’t worry. Everything will be okay.”

Tetsuya sighs wearily. “I hope so.”

After Himuro goes to sleep, Tetsuya leaves the house and heads to the gate. He notices that the lights are off in Hanamiya’s house. Masako must be keeping him overnight as punishment. He wonders if Hanamiya will be angry at him—most likely. Well, he can’t do anything about that.

The guard lets him out, and he ventures a little ways into the forest before taking a seat on a log. He doesn’t have to wait very long before a beast bounds out of the shadows and races toward him.

Contrary to what other people would do, Tetsuya smiles and waves slightly. The beast nudges its nose against his knee before a flash of blue light emits from its body, and a moment later, a familiar man is standing before him.

“Tetsu!”

“Aomine-kun,” Tetsuya smiles, accepting the head ruffle Aomine gives him. Tonight Aomine is particularly carefree and happy, an opposite of Tetsuya’s roiling emotions.

Aomine Daiki is a werewolf, the Alpha of his pack, in fact. His pack is small—there’s Momoi Satsuki, a Beta of his who he turned because she was his childhood friend and he was lonely after being turned by an incurable curse; Sakurai Ryou, another Beta of Aomine’s who he turned to save the brunet’s life; Seto Kentarou, a Beta who joined Aomine’s pack because he disliked his last one (although he frequently gives Aomine trouble since he likes brawling); and Wakamatsu Kousuke, a Beta who reluctantly joined Aomine after being kicked out of his old pack.

Aomine, as if sensing Tetsuya’s emotions, frowns at him and sits down beside him. “What’s up, Tetsu?” He asks, slinging an arm over Tetsuya’s shoulders. He grins at him. “You know you can tell me anything.”

Tetsuya returns his smile, albeit wearily. “I know, Aomine-kun. I’m grateful, but this isn’t something you should be worrying about. It’s just…” Tetsuya trails off, pondering how to put it simply and not alert Aomine to the gravity of the situation. “It’s just… my court and another group are having some conflict currently, but it isn’t serious yet.”

“Oh.” Aomine frowns and scratches his chin. “Like when my pack and I squabble with, like, somebody else or something?”

Tetsuya should have figured Aomine would use an analogy like that. “Yes, in a way,” Tetsuya nods, carefully observing Aomine’s emotions. His worry levels are low, which is good. The last thing Tetsuya needs is for Aomine to interfere.

Aomine sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, sorry about that. Hopefully it doesn’t escalate,” Aomine comments, and Tetsuya nods in agreement. Aomine is one of the few people who know how badly the last war really affected Tetsuya, which is why he tends to be a tad overprotective. Tetsuya loves his friend, but he wishes he would tone it down sometimes.

Aomine decides to cheer Tetsuya up by telling him about what’s happened lately with his pack. Momoi seems to have befriended a fox-shifter recently, but Aomine claims that he’s too loud and annoying. Sakurai is as apologetic as ever, but he accidentally created some trouble between himself and a centaur, and he nearly fainted when the centaur began yelling at him. Seto stirred up more trouble as he always does, this time with a different pack of werewolves in the north. Wakamatsu is apparently still complaining about Aomine’s leadership. “I don’t get why he doesn’t just leave,” Aomine grumbles. Tetsuya smiles at him. He knows Aomine wouldn’t like it if Wakamatsu did try to leave.

It becomes apparent that it’s getting quite late, so Aomine decides to leave, fist-bumping with Tetsuya before transforming back into a wolf and racing off into the forest. Tetsuya rises and stretches his wings, yawning softly as he does so. Aomine always prefers to visit Tetsuya at night, a habit they formed when they were younger. Even though Aomine could just visit him during the day now, he hasn’t grown out of the habit, so Tetsuya accommodates him.

When Tetsuya gets back to his house, he changes into his sleepwear and then curls up next to Himuro on the bed. Since the house is so small, Tetsuya only has room for one bed (plus one more used specifically for patients). The bed is made out of feathers and a single blanket—it’s not much, but Tetsuya can’t complain. It barely fits the two of them, but since Himuro’s house was burned down in an accident, they’ve been staying together.

Tetsuya idly wonders what Midorima’s friend will be like before he falls asleep.

* * *

 

Tetsuya wakes up early despite getting in late, tapping Himuro’s shoulder after he gets out of bed. “Six o’ clock,” he tells the other man when he makes a low grumbling noise.

Himuro reluctantly sits up, yawning and stretching his arms and wings. “Guess I’d better get going on my routes,” he mutters, drowsily, as he rolls off the bed. Tetsuya hums, switching out his white cotton gloves he uses when he sleeps for black ones. After that, he picks up a bucket and trots out the door.

It’s just a short trip to the well nearby, where he draws water. He then returns to his house, placing the bucket on a table. He picks up a spray bottle and uncaps it before dipping the empty bottle into the bucket and collecting a small amount of water. He recaps the bottle, blows into the nozzle, and then sprays it on his hair. It instantly arranges itself accordingly (he has atrocious bedhead, really). A moment later, Himuro plucks the bottle from his hand and sprays it on his hair. Himuro actually wakes up with perfect hair every morning, which is despicable in Tetsuya’s opinion, but he always uses the spray as if he actually needs it.

Tetsuya brushes his teeth, dipping a cup into the bucket so he has something to rinse with. He spits into a different bucket and then moves onto his outfit.

Tetsuya wouldn’t consider himself vain and obsessed with appearances, but all faeries are inherently self-conscious about their appearance. Grooming is very important to them. While some faeries may take two or three hours on getting ready in the morning, Tetsuya only takes half an hour at the most. Himuro takes a little longer, but he’s relatively fast as well.

He decides to wear a short-sleeved faded blue tunic and white leggings underneath a sleeveless white vest, held together by his usual worn leather belt. For shoes he pulls on his knee-high black boots. He then fastens a black necklace with a protective charm around his neck, and he drapes a gold chain headpiece over his hair, with a dormant protective charm resting in the middle of his forehead.

“More jewelry,” Himuro calls as he slides his usual three golden cuffs around his left upper arm. Tetsuya can’t help his small laugh, but he obliges and puts a silver cuff around each of his upper arms, and then slides two rings onto his right hand, both of them connected by gold chains.

Faeries are known for being ‘loud’; as in, you could most likely hear them coming, purely because they wore so much jewelry. The same could be said for jinn and perhaps some dragons. Again, it wasn’t always because they were vain; they inherently had a fondness for things that enhanced their appearance. Perhaps you could call it an inherent vanity, then…?

After putting on small gold hoop earrings, Tetsuya decides that’s enough and puts his boxes away. He pours some of the water into two glasses and sets them on the table, and then he moves into the small kitchen area, where he pulls out the rest of the bread and toasts it with a quick spell. He butters it and then sets two slices each on a plate before delivering it to the small table he uses for dining, mixing medicine, and oftentimes magical experiments. Needless to say, it’s quite beaten up. Maybe he should see if Haizaki would be willing to build him another one.

Himuro soon joins him, dressed in a deep purple sleeveless tunic, loose black pants, and black boots. Unlike Tetsuya, he doesn’t wear a headpiece, but he has many bracelets on his arms, and a few necklaces around his neck. Tetsuya spots a few charms among them, which puts his mind at ease. Since Himuro is a messenger, he’s alone a lot, which means he’s vulnerable to attacks. But if he has protective charms on him, there’s a smaller chance of that happening.

Because Himuro is a messenger, he tends to fly a lot. His wings are pretty and relatively rare; one wing has silver spirals, while the other has black spirals. It’s quite uncommon to have two colors in your wings. As for his wings’ flowers, they’re bittersweet flowers, which are purple and star-shaped. Himuro is quite popular, both inside and outside their court, which isn’t surprising. He’s very charismatic, and extremely attractive.

“By the way,” Himuro says, snapping Tetsuya out of his thoughts. “If you’re going gathering, stay close to the court. West and east of here seem to be getting worse with the infestations.”

Tetsuya frowns slightly, but he nods in acknowledgment of the given information. ‘Infestations’ refer to the black vines that suck the life force out of the forest. The vines seem to come from corrupted sources of magic, like an enchanted tree or well, and they’re near-impossible to get rid of. It takes a herculean effort on the part of very strong people who can use magic to clear it away. However, because the task is so draining, oftentimes the vines are left to run rampant until it becomes harmful to people, not just the forest.

“Ah,” Tetsuya remembers, snapping out of his thoughts. “I have to greet the elf coming over at noon, so I won’t be here if you come back for a lunch break.”

Himuro looks surprised. “Really? You didn’t mention that last night.”

“I’m sorry. It slipped my mind.”

Himuro frowns. “Well, it’s okay. Good luck with him, though.”

Tetsuya smiles wearily. “Thank you.” _Judging from Midorima-kun’s letter, I’ll need it._

* * *

 

Tetsuya joins the guard standing outside the gate at 1145 in the morning. He figures that it’s not so early that he’ll be waiting long, and not so late that he might miss the elf if he decides to arrive early. The guard, who happens to be Alex today, gives him a big smile, and then dives in for a kiss. Tetsuya manages to dodge due to years of expertise, but Alex just straightens up with an even bigger smile. “Well, if it isn’t the adorable Tetsuya! The Queen told me you were going to be waiting for someone, right?”

Tetsuya nods. “That is right, Alex-san.” He’d attempted to call her Garcia-san for a while, but Alex is nothing if not persistent. Eventually he became used to calling her Alex.

“Ooh, so what is it, a hot date?” Alex wiggles her eyebrows in a teasing manner. Tetsuya casts her a rather disturbed look.

“No, it is not. The Queen is expecting an important guest and requested that I be here to greet him.”

Alex frowns, shoulders dropping slightly as her tone gains a more serious undercurrent. “A guest? But why are you greeting him? No offense, honey, but you’re just our healer,” she points out, putting a hand on her hip.

Tetsuya nods. “True, I am. However, Masako-sama saw it fit to have me greet him, so I obliged. Supposedly he will be here at noon.”

Alex hums thoughtfully, turning to the opening of the forest not far away. “Well, let’s see then.”

However, at 1210, the elf still hasn’t arrived. “Maybe he likes being fashionably late?” Alex suggest to lighten the mood. Even so, they’re both still aware that the Queen surely won’t be happy, since she was under the impression he would be there at 1200.

“Perhaps,” Tetsuya agrees since there isn’t anything else to say.

It takes another fifteen minutes before Tetsuya catches the sound of horseshoes against the worn path of the forest. He straightens up at the same time Alex does, but a heavy question hangs in the air between them. _What took him so long if he was riding a horse?_

Tetsuya senses another person’s emotions in the area. They’re murky at best, which surprises Tetsuya. Somehow, his power is being blocked, even if just slightly. He hasn’t ever experienced this before. If Alex’s tsk is anything to go by, she’s being blocked as well.

Soon enough, a great white horse emerges from the shadows, trotting regally up to Tetsuya and Alex. Its owner dismounts gracefully, settling an even gaze on the two faeries. He’s completely unperturbed despite his ‘late’ appearance.

The elf both fits the general impression of elves and doesn’t. He is highly attractive, with no flaws immediately apparent. Like all elves, his ears are pointed; although, while faeries also have pointed ears, elves’ are more noticeable. Also particular to elves are markings on his face—a curved line in the middle of his forehead that seems to mimic a third closed eye and two simple lines on both of his cheeks. He has a bow and quiver slung over his back, and a sheathed sword rests against his hip. He’s wearing simple yet elegant clothing in the form of a black long-sleeved tunic and white trousers, along with a pair of black riding boots.

All of those fit the image of elves, but here is what doesn’t. His hair is fiery red, and his eyes are mismatched—his right eye is fine-crafted ruby while the left is liquefied gold. He is of average height, even though elves are normally taller than most races. And even though it doesn’t quite count, there is something very… intense about him, as Midorima had said.

“I meant to arrive earlier, but that didn’t work out,” the elf says in a smooth voice. “I am here to see Masako Araki, the Fairy Queen. I do not have an appointment, but I will not leave without being able to see her.”

Tetsuya supposes he doesn’t know that Midorima had sent him a forewarning. Stepping up, he reveals himself to the elf—though, he doesn’t seem to be very surprised. Perhaps he had spotted him earlier despite his weak presence…? “Hello, my name is Kuroko Tetsuya. I am just the healer of this court, but I received a letter informing me of your arrival. Masako-sama has been expecting you.”

The elf stares at him for an unnerving amount of time. “Shintarou told you, am I correct?” He asks, but he sounds sure of himself. Tetsuya nods. “That’s what I thought. Well, my name is Akashi Seijuurou, vice-leader of the Rakuzan Clan. Pleasure.” There is a glint in his eyes, and his tone is clipped—a false pleasantry.

Nevertheless, he returns the pleasantry. “It’s nice to meet you as well.” Turning around, he looks back at Alex, who is watching their exchange with wide eyes. He clears his throat slightly to get her attention, but it seems like she’s still staring at Akashi. Deeming it worthless, he gives up on capturing her attention and instead delivers his request. “Alex-san, please clear everyone from the square so I may escort Akashi-san in peace.”

Alex blinks, glancing at him briefly. She looks between him and Akashi, much to Tetsuya’s befuddlement, and suddenly, she giggles to herself. “Okay~” She agrees in a light voice, opening the gate to carry out his request. Tetsuya watches her go, wondering what she was so giddy about.

When he turns back to Akashi, he finds the elf looking at him strangely. Did Tetsuya do something when he turned around? Before he can ask, Akashi suddenly smiles mysteriously at him. “You have very beautiful wings,” he compliments, folding his arms over his chest.

Tetsuya blinks in surprise. He hadn’t expected that. Unfortunately, he can’t get a good read on Akashi’s emotions, so he doesn’t know what his motive for saying so is. It surely can’t be just a simple compliment, can it?

Nevertheless, he bows humbly. “Thank you for saying so, but they aren’t particularly special,” Tetsuya says, flatly. His wings are average in size, technically, but they are most likely the smallest in his court. While the pattern of circles, swirls, and dots isn’t common, he still doesn’t consider his wings as special. His color pattern is primarily light blue, matching his hair, but it sometimes changes into black or white in places. His flowers are light blue as well…

“I will have to disagree. Your wings are unique—I haven’t met a faerie with wings even close to yours,” Akashi returns, his tone final. Tetsuya assumes any argument will be shot down, so he reluctantly accepts the compliment. At that moment, Alex returns, to Tetsuya’s silent relief.

“Alright, we’re good to go. Go on,” Alex gestures, returning to her post. Tetsuya bows and thanks her briefly before looking back at Akashi.

“Would you like to bring your horse inside to rest at the stables?” Tetsuya offers, since he knows that the stables are relatively empty at the moment. Normally, the stables are full with regular horses, unicorns, and pegasi, but there are equine races being held this week, so there are only a few left.

Akashi nods, holding onto his horse by the reigns. “Yes, I would,” he replies, following Tetsuya into the court. Tetsuya isn’t looking behind at Akashi, but he senses that he’s looking around. His curiosity doesn’t rise, but his level of fascination goes up a bit. Tetsuya understands, since most don’t expect their court to be this large.

There is, of course, the three-story mansion their Queen lives in, which is in the northern end of the court. In the center of the court is the main square where there’s a magical stone fountain that grants the wishes it deems worthy. Paths branch out to the different homes or stores of the faeries—the stables, however, are on the southwest end, near the south gate of the court. The only other gate of the court is on the east side. They also have many sparring grounds and racetracks dotting the southern portion of the court. North is where you can find most of their shops.

All in all, their court is relatively large despite the fact that they are not the strongest court out there.

“Welcome to Yousen Court,” Tetsuya says, turning on his heel to bow gracefully. “I hope you enjoy your stay, even if you don’t find what you desire.”

“Thank you,” Akashi replies cordially, tipping his head slightly in acknowledgment. Tetsuya begins walking again, but Akashi speaks up once more. “Are you simply the healer of this court, or do you play a bigger role in it?”

Tetsuya is taken by surprise by his question, but he answers shortly afterward, just as they arrive at the stables. “I am also a mediator, as other faeries often come to me to resolve their scuffles. Occasionally, I will sit in on the Queen’s meetings to aid her with visitors, but this time I will not. Also, I suppose I could be considered a ‘witch’ of sorts. I craft protective charms and healing potions. My level of magic is advanced, but I cannot cast many offensive spells. To be blunt, I am rather useless as a fighter,” Tetsuya explains, in as timely a manner as possible. While his explanation was rather long, his faster pacing shortened it time-wise.

Akashi begins the process of putting his horse in the stables, but he converses with Tetsuya even as he does so. His emotions remain vague and blurry to the faerie, but he seems slightly interested in what Tetsuya has had to say. “Oh? I must say, you’re one of the more intriguing faeries I’ve met,” he comments. There is no praise behind the comment, but it seems to be a fact that Akashi thinks Tetsuya should know.

Tetsuya is unsure of how to respond, so he remains silent. Eventually, Akashi finishes and then shuts the door to his horse’s pen. He glances at Tetsuya expectantly, so the faerie begins leading the way toward the Queen’s mansion.

The court is quiet due to Alex’s forewarning, but Tetsuya sees faeries peeking out of their shops and houses as they walk by. Tetsuya’s wings flutter uneasily. He’s never liked having so much attention on himself. He attempts to placate himself by thinking of how he has to gather more herbs and flowers after he guides Akashi to the throne room. Perhaps gathering will take his mind off of the unnerving elf following him…

After what seems to be an eternity, they finally reach the Queen’s mansion, and the guards let them inside. The Queen’s servants bow respectfully to them as they pass by, but Tetsuya feels their stares on their backs as they continue onward. The tension in the air is high.

Rakuzan is technically an ally of Yousen, but they’re known not to always get along. Rakuzan is ruthless in its own way, especially when it comes to war, so Tetsuya supposes it has that in common with Masako. Yousen actually has quite a few aggressive faeries as well. Because of their similar personalities, the faeries and elves often find themselves not getting along. It extends from Masako and Shirogane all the way to young faeries and elves who weren’t even there to see the peace treaty being signed all those years ago.

Of course, while Masako and Shirogane get along better than they used to, things can still be tense when it involves Rakuzan. It’s why Tetsuya was so worried about this meeting. He can only hope Rakuzan doesn’t want to break the peace. Hopefully they can negotiate successfully.

At last, they reach the throne room. Tetsuya signals for Akashi to wait, and he steps through the double doors first. Masako and her head advisor, Liu Wei, are waiting inside. “Masako-sama, Akashi Seijuurou, the vice leader of Rakuzan, is here to see you,” Tetsuya announces, sidestepping and bowing as a signal for Akashi to come inside. The red-haired elf calmly walks into the room, not pausing to bow at the door. He walks up to Masako’s throne and stops a respectful distance away, a tip of his head his only show of acknowledgment to Masako’s higher position of power.

Akashi is somewhat rude, but Tetsuya is not sure if it’s intentional. He’s not exactly sure what it is, but the aura exuding from him commands respect. He’s dignified as if he’s on the same level as Masako despite his title. Akashi’s actions do come off as rude, but Tetsuya can’t decipher why he acts so… superior.

Masako seems irked by Akashi’s behavior at the least. “Thank you, Kuroko. You may leave,” she dismisses through gritted teeth. Akashi glances back at him briefly, but Tetsuya can’t read anything in his expression. Before he can ponder it for too long, he takes his leave, using his weak presence to blend in and escape without being interrogated by the gossip-loving faeries of the Queen’s mansion.

Somehow, he doubts this will be the last he sees of Akashi Seijuurou.

* * *

 

Tetsuya stares up at the apple tree forlornly, feeling scorned. While he was gathering materials, he began to feel a little hungry, and to his luck, an apple tree was nearby. However, the apples are quite high, and Tetsuya isn’t sure if he can successfully climb the tree to reach them.

Perhaps you’re wondering why he doesn’t just fly to the apples. The answer is rather simple:

Tetsuya can’t fly.

There are a multitude of reasons why he can’t, but ultimately being flightless is the end result. If he shrinks down to the size of a pin, though, he will be able to fly. The reason why is because it isn’t as difficult for him to fly when he’s that small. Even so, he rarely ever flies. The reasons why he’s hesitant to fly in the first place are better left unsaid.

Tetsuya sighs, setting his satchel of materials down in a safe place before shrinking. He manages to fly to the apples with relative ease since there isn’t much wind so deep into the forest, and he flits around the stem of the apple for a moment. He tries to pull it down to no avail. He’s still trying to figure out a spell that can make objects fall toward him without spontaneously combusting, so magic is out of the question.

After much tugging, Tetsuya finally manages to free the apple, and he immediately begins to fall because of its immense weight. He flaps his wings furiously to ease the landing, but he still winds up tumbling head-over-apple as he lands on the forest floor. With a soft groan of pain, he sits up and transforms back into his regular form. He picks up the apple and dusts it off before biting into it. While it isn’t the best apple he’s ever had, it is still enough to abate his hunger.

Making a mental note to collect food that is _not_ from this apple tree, he picks up his satchel once more and heads deeper into the forest. If he recalls correctly, he’s near where Aomine’s pack should be. He wonders if he’ll run into any of them.

He doesn’t meet any of Aomine’s pack, but he does find more of the herbs he was looking for. Since he has a relatively good haul, he begins to trek back home before the sun sets. Along the way, he manages to gather some food so he and Himuro won’t be starving tonight. Maybe the black-haired messenger even stopped by the bakery and bought some food? Tetsuya can only hope so, because he knows Himuro doesn’t like eating roots no matter how many times Tetsuya says they’re edible.

Alex has switched with another guard, so he doesn’t see the blonde this time. He begins to walk home, which isn’t too far, just a bit past the square and down, but as he approaches the square, he notices a commotion up ahead.

Somehow, the Queen manages to spot him amidst the chaos. “Kuroko!” Masako calls, stepping away from some other people and walking toward Tetsuya. The Queen grimaces slightly, noticing the confusion in Tetsuya’s eyes, even though his expression hasn’t changed. “Sorry about this, but Akashi cut a deal with us. Rakuzan will forget about Hanamiya, but only if Akashi gets to borrow you for a whole month.”

_… What?_

“Pardon?” Tetsuya asks aloud, a bit dazed.

Akashi appears, making his way up to Tetsuya. His dual-colored eyes look like they’re glowing in the setting sun’s light. “Our healer recently passed away, and no one else is adept at what she did. While we find a replacement for her, I want you to take her place.” Akashi says it so simply, as if it’s an everyday matter. As if he isn’t uprooting Tetsuya from his home and taking him someplace foreign.

Tetsuya feels like there’s a lump in his throat. Despite this, he finds the will to speak, even if his voice sounds weak to his own ears. “Akashi-san, I understand, but what about my court? And haven’t you considered that I might not be trustworthy?” Of course, Tetsuya would never intentionally harm someone else unless it was absolutely necessary, but Akashi doesn’t know that.

Akashi seems to have expected his questions and answers them with ease. “Your court will be fine, considering that there are quite a few faeries here that are knowledgeable with medicine. And you are not the kind of person that would slip poisons to sick patients, which makes you perfect.”

Tetsuya finds his tongue-tied. He isn’t sure if he can argue against Akashi at this point; in fact, he realizes that he can’t. If this is the only way to settle things between their groups, then he has no choice. And besides, it’s just for a month. Surely it can’t be that bad.

“Alright,” Tetsuya agrees, hoping he doesn’t sound as defeated as he feels. He catches Himuro’s worried gaze in the crowd and sends a reassuring look his way.

Meanwhile, Akashi just nods, probably expecting this result. “Good. You have until tomorrow morning to prepare. We leave at dawn.” He turns away, most likely heading back to Masako’s mansion. She was probably forced to offer him a place to stay for the night in her mansion, because it would be rude not to.

“I apologize about all of this, but this was the only way,” Masako says, regret tinting her emotions. Tetsuya nods in understanding, not wanting the Queen to dwell too long on his misfortune. After saying a few more words to him about behaving while he’s at Rakuzan, she leaves for her mansion as well.

Most of the crowd disperses, but Tetsuya feels someone lean down on his head for a brief moment. “Good luck, Tetsuya,” Haizaki mutters quickly before jogging off. Haizaki is extremely rough around the edges and not exactly a good person, but because Tetsuya has never treated him badly unlike the other faeries, Haizaki claims to tolerate him.

It’s not quite a friendship, but not quite an acquaintanceship either.

Finally, Himuro walks up to him, looking downtrodden and worried. His negative emotions are high, so Tetsuya attempts to placate him as he comes to a stop before Tetsuya. “It’s alright, Himuro-kun. It’s only one month; it surely won’t be that bad.”

Himuro sighs in frustration, opening his mouth as if to protest, but he hesitates. He sighs again, shaking his head. “I know, but that doesn’t make it any better. I’m just worried. I don’t trust Rakuzan,” he mutters, eye flashing darkly. Tetsuya is unable to respond, casting his gaze toward the ground instead. Himuro has always had a hard time being neutral toward Rakuzan ever since the peace treaty was signed. Though it’s been many years, even now he has to force himself to pick up or drop off mail on Rakuzan’s route.

Unsure of what else to do for his friend, Tetsuya hesitantly shuffles closer to Himuro, bumping shoulders with him but being careful not to let his wings touch him. Himuro starts, clearly surprised, but he slowly begins to smile, which Tetsuya takes as a good sign. Eventually, they begin to walk back to Tetsuya’s house, their shoulders still occasionally bumping together. 

Inwardly, Tetsuya can’t help but worry about Himuro. It might seem a bit odd in his circumstances, but he can’t help it. Himuro was his first friend he made in Yousen’s court; in return, Tetsuya is one of Himuro’s only close friends in the court. Without Tetsuya here, will Himuro be okay?

Tetsuya will just have to trust that he will be.

* * *

 

Tetsuya ends up packing for hours, which results in very little sleep. In the morning, he piles new charms he’s made into Himuro’s arms. “Just in case,” Tetsuya says. Himuro laughs at him, finding it humorous that he said it so stoically despite obviously being worried that Himuro will somehow run out of protective charms. 

“I do know how to make some by myself,” Himuro points out, carefully setting the jewelry aside on a small table. Tetsuya’s only response is a small, disgruntled noise, which makes Himuro chuckle. Tetsuya has very little faith in Himuro’s magical abilities. Despite the fact that faeries are naturally gifted in the magical arts, Himuro somehow winds up getting his spells wrong more often than not.

Tetsuya surveys his luggage. He’s packed one trunk of clothes and other things, and another trunk with his medical supplies. He has also packed his trusty satchel with more supplies. As for how he will transport all of his possessions…

He simply shrinks both trunks and fits them into his satchel before departing.

Not many faeries have gathered to see him off, which is what Tetsuya expected. Despite being the court’s healer, not many faeries know him outside his job. The Queen is there, obviously, with Liu at her side. Alex stands next to the gate, talking to the Queen as they wait for him to arrive. And finally, there is Akashi himself, standing next to his horse.

“Good morning,” Tetsuya bows as he stops near them. The Queen jumps a little, not noticing his approach. Akashi merely nods in acknowledgment.

“I’ll never get used to that,” Masako grumbles under her breath. Himuro, who has followed Tetsuya, chuckles a little. Masako glares at him, but says nothing else. “We were going to give you a horse for your journey, but Akashi says you can ride with him on his. He says it’s less of a nuisance for us, since we’re already giving up our healer.” Masako sounds slightly upset, as if she was bothered by Akashi telling her what to do. She probably was.

Tetsuya blinks in surprise at the information, but he decides protesting would be useless. He wonders how he will travel back to the court after the month is over. On foot, it seems.

“I see. Well, I’m ready to leave whenever you are, Akashi-san,” Tetsuya informs the elf, who nods.

“Alright. Say your goodbyes, and then we’ll depart,” Akashi says. He then swings onto his horse in one swift movement, settling comfortably on the saddle.

Tetsuya bows to the Queen and her advisor, and he accepts the hug from Alex. When he turns to Himuro, he finds that his throat feels oddly thick. Himuro smiles at him with sadness glimmering in his eye. “Stay safe, okay?” He murmurs as he pulls him in for a hug. Tetsuya hugs him back, closing his eyes for a brief moment.

It’s hard to let go, because Himuro is the closest thing to family he has ever had.

But eventually, they do, and Tetsuya manages to nod before he turns to Akashi. The elf looks down at him and then offers him a hand to help him up. When Tetsuya takes his hand, he’s caught off-guard by Akashi’s strength when he effortlessly pulls him up to sit behind him. “Hold on,” Akashi warns. Tetsuya finds it somewhat awkward, so he holds onto Akashi shirt instead of his waist. The elf seems amused, but he says nothing and instead commands his horse to start forward.

As they walk out the gate, Tetsuya turns slightly to wave. The faeries wave back at him while the gate swings shut behind them, and when it shuts fully, Tetsuya is left alone with Akashi.

It is not exactly comfortable, but it’s not uncomfortable either. Tetsuya stays silent since he isn’t sure if it’s alright to talk, and he looks around at their surroundings. Riding a horse changes the perspective of the forest around him. He feels a bit like he’s floating, since he’s so high up off the ground.

“We’ll walk at a decent pace for a while since I don’t want to wear Yukimaru out,” Akashi informs him suddenly. Tetsuya brings his attention back to his companion, curious.

“Yukimaru is the name of your horse?” Tetsuya asks. While it seems that is the only plausible explanation, he asks because he’s curious about Akashi’s horse.

Akashi seems to sense that and nods. “Yes, it is. She is a female, and she’s been my horse for years now.” Tetsuya can’t help but notice the pride in Akashi’s voice. He hopes the elf doesn’t notice his smile. _So he does have a softer side._

“How far is it to Rakuzan? I have never visited before,” Tetsuya admits, allowing his muscles to relax slightly. While Akashi was quite intimidating yesterday, because Akashi is being civil right now, he thinks it would be okay to let his guard down a little.

Akashi seems to ponder his response for a moment. “At the pace we’re going, it will take three hours. I plan to speed Yukimaru up to a trot in brief spurts, though, so perhaps the time will be reduced to two hours. I have to say, in case you don’t know—don’t talk while she’s trotting unless you want to risk biting your tongue.”

Tetsuya frowns slightly. “I knew that,” he responds, feeling insulted.

Akashi just sends him a bemused glance over his shoulder. “I thought so, but I wanted to make sure.”

Tetsuya resists the urge to sigh. Though Akashi is not exactly vicious, he is tedious to be around. Despite that what he says is fact, the aura around him makes it come off as belittling even though Akashi might not mean for it to be.

“Now that you’ve questioned me, I’m interested in learning more about you. Care to entertain me for a while?” Akashi asks, even though Tetsuya can’t exactly say no.

Tetsuya feels a crease appear in his brow, but he accepts anyway. “I will answer as best as I can,” he replies, which seems to satisfy Akashi.

“Good. Then, why do you wear gloves all the time?” Even when Akashi is questioning him, his emotions are murky. Tetsuya can’t even tell if he’s actually curious or not. He assumes he is because he’s asking, but it’s frustrating not being able to read him.

Tetsuya looks at his hands which are holding onto Akashi’s shirt. True to his word, Tetsuya’s hands are covered by black anti-magic gloves. “You’re aware that faeries are naturally gifted in magic, yes?” Tetsuya presumes, glancing up at Akashi. When he sees him nod, he continues. “I was born with an unnaturally high amount of magical energy. If I touch anything with my bare hands, magic will normally be transferred into it. I’ve been trying to control my magic for years, but I still can’t prevent it from pouring from my fingertips. I always wear gloves so that I don’t accidentally imbue something with magic. I really do wish I could control it, but I’ve never been able to.” Tetsuya is unable to stop himself from sounding somber at the end. If he could control his magic better, then he wouldn’t have so many accidents with his magic. At least with the gloves, he can perform controlled spells, but if he could use his hands, he could do more.

Akashi hums, sounding intrigued. “Really? I have to say, when I first saw you, I wouldn’t have expected you to be so prolific with magic.” _Or anything,_ Tetsuya thinks is left unsaid. He understands; he honestly doesn’t look like much. But he remembers words that were thrown at him years ago.

_Evil can come in innocent packages._

Tetsuya can’t help the frown that forms on his face, but he tries to shake off the memory. That was a long time ago. Things are different now. “I understand. I know I don’t look very capable, but I assure you that I am.”

Akashi glances at him over his shoulder, gaze critical. But, suddenly, he says, “I know.” And for some reason, Akashi sounds absolutely sure of himself, as if he always knew it. Tetsuya stares at him in surprise for a moment before looking away at the passing scenery. His neck feels slightly warmer. It isn’t often someone is so confident in Tetsuya. 

It feels nice.


	2. they don't know our hearts (pt.2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroko finds out the real reason why Akashi wanted him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> miss fortune voice: "step two" 
> 
> anyway, part two was a bit later than intended. apologies. 
> 
> happy Easter! (although it's a bit late rip)

“Akashi-san, is this really the right way?” Tetsuya wonders, somewhat baffled by their surroundings. Akashi nods, but Tetsuya has noticed that his grip on the reigns has grown tighter. Due to the unstable ground, Tetsuya has been forced to wrap his arms around Akashi so he doesn’t fall off.

The scenery has changed from a green, lush forest to a dark, withering place. All of the trees seem to be dying, and the ground is covered by dark-colored moss and black creeping vines. The trees are also being consumed by the vines. Tetsuya recalls Himuro’s words from the other day.

_West and east of here seem to be getting worse with the infestations._

Is it possible that Rakuzan is having problems with the vines? But if so, why wouldn’t they get rid of them? Perhaps…

While faeries are naturally gifted with magic, elves are not. Elves are wise and good strategists—they excel at war. However, their drawback is that elves are not proficient at magic. It would take years of training for an elf to become even average at using magic.

But hadn’t Akashi brought Tetsuya so that he could fill in for a healer? True, healers didn’t have to be able to use magic, but it was better if they could. Was replacing the healer really all Akashi wanted Tetsuya to do?

“You seem to have caught on,” Akashi notes, breaking the eerie silence. Tetsuya almost jumps at his voice because he’s so on-edge. Akashi’s expression is stony as he goes on. “Our home has been infested with these vines for quite some time now. However, only recently has it started to affect our health. I haven’t been affected because I’ve been away searching for way to get rid of these vines without magic, but that search has been fruitless. Because it is now affecting our health, we can’t let it fester any longer. As you may have guessed, I’ve brought you here to try to remove the vines.”

Tetsuya is shocked, and even his usually blank expression caves a little to show that. “But, Akashi-san, I’m just one faerie,” he tries to remind him, voice somewhat aghast. “I can’t cure your home by myself. You should have asked for more faeries to come; I’m sure Masako-sama would have allowed it.”

Akashi glances at him over his shoulder, eyes burning with irritation. Tetsuya tries not to flinch, and with some effort, he manages to keep his chin up and shoulders set. For a moment, it feels as if Akashi is impressed. “I thought you were more observant, Tetsuya. There is a reason why we haven’t told anyone about the infestation. Our home is known for its rivers of magic, but due to the infestation, they’ve all dried up. If someone else were to receive this information, they might attack us, and while we would be able to fend them off, in our state right now, we wouldn’t last forever. My people are _dying_ , Tetsuya. I can’t risk putting their lives in more danger.”

Tetsuya feels as if his mouth is full of cotton. Even though he wants to deny that Masako would have spread that information, he has to stop and wonder. What if one of the faeries heard about this and told someone else? What if that someone had a grudge against Rakuzan? They’ve picked up many enemies over time. Ultimately, Akashi is right. If this information fell into the wrong hands, Rakuzan might be massacred.

He swallows thickly. “But you told me,” he points out, quietly.

Akashi resumes looking ahead again. “You are correct. I told you because I can see that you’re soft-hearted. You wouldn’t dare tell anyone else after what I just told you. From the moment I saw you, I knew you were the perfect one to cure our home. You won’t run off and tell someone else to do it for you. I know you will try to do this on your own even if you don’t think you can, simply because you wouldn’t be able to handle all of these deaths resting on your conscience. Really, Hanamiya was just an excuse to look for a capable faerie to help us. As luck would have it, I found you immediately.”

Tetsuya would be justified in feeling cheated. He would be justified in feeling angry at being used like this. But he can’t find the will to be angry in himself. Akashi is right; he wouldn’t be able to continue if he knew these elves died because he didn’t do anything. At the very least, he can try.

“Here we are,” Akashi announces, slowing Yukimaru down as they emerge from the trees into a clearing.

Tetsuya looks up at the fortified stone walls in amazement. He knew Rakuzan was heavily guarded, but this is more extreme than Tetsuya’s own court, which has walls of its own. However, the walls here are overgrown with black vines.

The black iron gate seems to be the only thing not overrun by vines. The gate is metal, but there is a wooden gate behind it so no one can see inside. When Yukimaru approaches the gate, they both swing open to grant access into the fort. As soon as they pass through, Tetsuya is overwhelmed by the scent of sickness and disease and tries not to throw up.

Tetsuya can tell that Rakuzan used to be beautiful. Running alongside the inner walls is a riverbed. Yukimaru has to cross a bridge to get from the gate into the actual fort. Connected to the wall’s riverbed are other thinner riverbeds, leading to the center of the fort. Instead of flowing with clean water, the riverbeds are covered in black vines and are flowing with black water.

All the way on the other end of the fort is a large building, most likely where the elves’ leader, Shirogane, lives. Even that building has black vines crawling up its sides. There is an abundance of buildings lined up in neat rows between them and Shirogane’s building, which contrasts Tetsuya’s court, where the buildings are spaced out. The buildings here seem to be arranged in a circular pattern around the very center of the fort—Tetsuya would guess maybe five streets with buildings on both sides. While that seems to be the central part of the fort, there are other buildings away from them, like the stables, and there are also open areas, maybe for sparring practice.

All in all, it’s incredibly large, bigger than Tetsuya’s own court, but…

It’s all covered in black vines.

The elves that Tetsuya can see look pale and sickly. Some of them are slower than others, some of them have horrible coughs. Tetsuya can feel his stress levels rising at the thought of having to fix the fort and then cure all of these elves. He doesn’t even know what medicine to give them.

Despite the daunting task lying before him, he knows he has no choice but to move forward. “Akashi-san, where is the source of the infestation?” Tetsuya asks, quietly, half-hoping none of the elves notice him behind Akashi.

Akashi nudges Yukimaru forward again, traveling down one of the streets toward the center of the fort. “It’s in the very center of our fort,” he explains, nodding to elves who greet him as he passes by. They cast him curious looks, so they must not have noticed Tetsuya sitting behind him yet and are wondering who he is talking to. “The source of our rivers is a pool in the center. I’m not sure what caused the infestation, but it’s been spreading for quite some time now.”

Tetsuya nods, trying to picture it in his mind. He hasn’t seen the source of an infestation yet. Will it just be more vines growing out of the pool? Or will it be something more horrific? If it is, Tetsuya would have thought Akashi would have sought help sooner. But, perhaps he really did think he would be able to solve this on his own…

When they arrive at the center, Tetsuya is momentarily speechless. He’d imagined something like this, but seeing it up close is jarring.

The ‘pool’ has been entirely filled with black, murky water. Thick black vines grow out of the water and spread outward, while other vines twist together and grow upward, forming a towering, thick mass that is at least ten meters high. Despite the fact that none of the vines are moving, Tetsuya senses that they are very much alive.

There are no elves in the area, and one look at Akashi tells Tetsuya why. Akashi doesn’t show anything outwardly, but his skin seems paler and his breathing shallower. Maybe being so close to the source badly effects the elves? But Tetsuya himself doesn’t feel any different. Perhaps it’s targeted specifically at the people of the land it’s taken over?

Whatever the case may be, Tetsuya dismounts, having to adjust to walking after so long. “You should stay here,” Tetsuya tells Akashi, who glances down at him.

“I assumed it would be so, but you don’t feel the effects, do you?” Akashi asks, moving Yukimaru back a few steps. Tetsuya shakes his head. “I suppose that’s a good thing. Do you have a plan?”

Tetsuya finds it odd that Akashi asks him that. He supposes it’s because Akashi seems like the type of person to always have a plan, but then again, in this case, he most likely doesn’t know much about magic. Tetsuya doesn’t exactly have a ‘plan,’ but he has an idea. “No, I don’t, because I don’t know what others have done to clear infestations before. However, I do know something that I can try.” Tetsuya takes off his gloves, stuffing them into his satchel, which is also made out of anti-magic material.

Akashi lifts an eyebrow. “So you’ll try to overwhelm it with your pure magical energy,” he presumes, tilting his head at Tetsuya. Tetsuya blinks, but he supposes it could be described as something like that. As if sensing his slight confusion, Akashi adds, “I have theorized that, despite not actively attacking us physically, these vines are malicious and conscious. The most efficient way to counter something malicious would be to have something pure. For whatever reason, I sense that you have a very pure energy inside of you. I reason that that’s why you have the best chance at destroying the infestation.”

Tetsuya is again stunned by the confidence in Akashi’s words. His conviction is so strong that he does truly believe Tetsuya will be able to destroy the infestation. Perhaps not today, but someday.

Tetsuya feels like letting Akashi down isn’t an option anymore.

He approaches the pool with tentative steps, allowing his wings to spread and begin to glow, which signals that he’s channeling his magical energy. The soft blue light wards off the murky energy around the pool, but despite that and not being an elf, Tetsuya feels somewhat oppressed as he closes in on the pool. As if some force is trying to push him back. Not only that, but he can feel the dark energy attempting to crush him under its aura.

Ignoring the uncomfortable feeling, Tetsuya looks up at the mass growing into the sky. He lifts a hand, feeling nerves take over his body. He isn’t sure if this will work, but all his life, magic has been dripping off of his fingers. There must be some chance…

He reaches forward and touches the mass of vines, choking back a gag when he feels how slimy it is beneath his fingertips. His wings suddenly glow brighter as he focuses his power, and the same aura envelops his hand.

And then, with an ominous crack, the mass begins to wilt.

Tetsuya watches in shock as the mass turns an ugly brown color, wilting under his touch. The vines begin to wilt as well, and the water starts to evaporate. He looks up as the vines become useless, and sees that the vines that overran the buildings are beginning to wilt too. When he looks back at the pool, he notices that the water is gone, and all that’s left are the dead vines. Distantly, Tetsuya hears something rumbling.

Then he jumps back, startled, as water suddenly gushes out of the bottom of the pool, rapidly filling it up. The mass doesn’t crumble beneath the water, indicating that it needs to be uprooted somehow. The water then pours into the rivers leading away from the center, flowing over the dead vines and circulating them. Despite the fact that the infestation has not completely disappeared, Tetsuya finds himself standing in the middle of a fort that is nearly unrecognizable from the one of several seconds ago.

Tetsuya abruptly realizes that there are elves cheering around him. He withers under the attention, attempting to discreetly make his way back to Akashi, who has jumped off of Yukimaru. A man is standing next to him, one Tetsuya has seen before.

It’s Shirogane.

“Well, well,” Shirogane says, amusement twinkling in his eyes. Despite that, Tetsuya can feel the relief and happiness rolling off of him in waves. “So the Queen’s still got some tricks up her sleeve, eh?”

Akashi, Tetsuya thinks, is smiling, but just barely. “My word stands correct as usual,” he notes, quite arrogantly in Tetsuya’s opinion. But he glances at Tetsuya, and somehow, his gaze seems a little softer, even though he shows no outward changes. “I have to admit, Tetsuya. This surpasses my expectations. I made the right choice in picking you, it seems.”

Tetsuya isn’t sure if there are hidden meanings to his words or if he has another motive, but he’s suddenly too tired to think. Akashi catches him before he can even stagger, supporting him with his arm. He obviously doesn’t think before saying his next words. “Thank you for believing in me, Akashi-kun,” he mumbles, words slurred slightly. Akashi pauses, glancing down at him.

He huffs out a bemused chuckle. “Do not thank me. Remember this and cherish it, because I don’t do this often.” He tilts Tetsuya’s chin up so he’s forced to stare right into his dual-colored eyes. “Thank you, Kuroko Tetsuya. I am sincerely grateful for your efforts today.”

Tetsuya blinks languidly, wings drooping behind him. Then he smiles—just barely, just like Akashi. But it’s enough. “I’m glad that I could help.”

And he gives in to the fatigue and loses consciousness. 

* * *

 

When Tetsuya begins to regain consciousness, he becomes aware that he’s lying on something that’s much softer than his own bed. His mind blanks out for a moment, a feeling of sheer panic building within his chest—but then he remembers Akashi and his clan and the _infestation_ , and he calms down, if only slightly. He had fainted due to exertion, and Akashi must have taken him somewhere to recover.

He opens his eyes slowly, squinting against the light from lanterns hanging in the room. Sitting up slowly, he glances out the window next to his bed and sees that it’s past nightfall already. He wonders how long he’d lost consciousness.

The room he’s in is relatively small and its walls are polished wood. The floor is also wooden, but it’s mostly covered by rugs made out of cotton. The only other things in the room besides the bed is a small table and a chair.

Unsure of what else to do, Tetsuya pulls off the blankets covering him and throws his legs over the side of the bed. He’s about to stand up when he senses someone else in the area—emotions neutral, relatively positive, actually; although, there seems to be some fatigue in their levels—and a few seconds later, the door opens.

A tall, effeminate man steps through the threshold, looking over at Tetsuya’s bed as soon as he does. His eyes widen in surprise when he sees that he’s awake. “Oh, you’re awake!” He exclaims, moving closer. Tetsuya observes him quietly, his muddled brain slowly fitting pieces into place.

Quite obviously, the other person is an elf, like Akashi. His markings aren’t on his face like Akashi’s but on his shoulders, where there are clouds depicted on the rounded joints of his shoulders. Like most elves and unlike Akashi, he has darker hair.

The one thing that stands out to Tetsuya, though, is the unmistakable hints of sickness. It makes sense, since Akashi said that the clan was getting sick from the infestation.

“You should be resting,” Tetsuya says, surprising the elf. Tetsuya’s wings flit to grab the elf’s attention, reminding him of what he is. “I’m the healer Akashi-san brought back to take care of your clan. I recognize that you’re sick, so you should be resting, not checking on me.”

The elf blinks a couple of times before suddenly chuckling, hiding a smile behind his hand. “You’re quite sharp, aren’t you? No wonder Sei-chan picked you. I don’t feel too bad, so I don’t mind. Sei-chan’s too busy to check on you, anyway, so someone has to do it. Ah, where are my manners? I’m Mibuchi Reo. How about you?” He asks with a friendly smile.

It’s a bit strange, since Tetsuya had expected the elves to dislike a faerie from Yousen’s court, but it is nice nevertheless. “My name is Kuroko Tetsuya. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Tetsuya says, bowing as best as he can in his position.

Mibuchi giggles. “No, the pleasure’s all mine, Tetsu-chan,” he rebuts, seemingly delighted with something. Tetsuya looks up at him, expression unchanging despite the bewilderment he feels.

“You wouldn’t happen to know a hawk-shifter, would you?” Tetsuya asks, dubiously. It’s not exactly the same, but the nickname and the unwarranted fascination remind him of a certain someone.

Mibuchi frowns, confused. “No, why?”

Inwardly, Tetsuya sighs in relief. “It’s nothing. My apologies.” Deciding to change the subject since he can feel how curious Mibuchi is, he asks, “Mibuchi-san, may I ask you a few questions regarding the sickness spread by the infestation?”

Mibuchi raises an eyebrow, but he nods anyway. “Sure, if it helps. There are some elves who are really sick, and we’d appreciate it if you can help them as soon as possible,” he explains, which worries Tetsuya. He regrets losing consciousness for so long, but there’s no point in dwelling on something out of his control.

“I’ll do my best. To begin, I’d like to know what your symptoms are.”

Mibuchi rubs his throat, frowning thoughtfully. “Generally, it starts with sore throats and wet coughs. Fevers follow, and it’s easier for us to feel fatigued. We just feel… bogged down in general. It’s gotten better since you destroyed the infestation, but there’s still a lingering uncomfortable feeling. Perhaps that’s just residue of the infestation in the air?” Mibuchi suggests.

Tetsuya looks away pensively. Mibuchi may be right; the uneasy feeling they have may be related to how recently the infestation was cleared. As for the other symptoms, they don’t sound all that serious, so the remedy shouldn’t be too hard to conjure. Sore throat, coughing, fevers, and fatigue…

Tetsuya hops off the bed, reaching for his satchel that was left on the table. He directs Mibuchi to take a seat while he mixes the medicine. The elf seems confused by the turn of events, but he sits anyway. Tetsuya pulls out his trunk with his medical supplies and enlarges it once more. Ignoring Mibuchi’s yelp, he opens the chest and riffles through it until he comes up with the ingredients he needs. Frowning at the low quantity of the ingredients, he makes a note to ask Akashi if he can go out and gather more.

Within a few minutes, with the help of a mixing bowl and a couple of simple spells, Tetsuya turns to Mibuchi with a thick, honeyed mixture in hand. Mibuchi gulps at the sight of its ominous deep purple color. “This should make you feel better, but it isn’t the sweetest thing out there,” Tetsuya admits, spooning out a dollop of the mixture. He offers it to Mibuchi, who cringes as he takes the spoon.

“Will this really work?” Mibuchi asks, dubiously, as he gags at the unpleasant smell. Tetsuya gives him a sympathetic look; he wouldn’t be very keen on taking the medicine, either.

“It should. In any case, I’m a trained healer. Drinking it won’t kill you. If it doesn’t make you feel better, at the very least it won’t make you feel worse,” Tetsuya explains, to ease Mibuchi’s worries. 

Mibuchi sighs in relief but is still reluctant as he lifts the spoon higher. Before he takes it, he side-eyes Tetsuya and mutters, “I really hope this works.” Tetsuya nods, wishing the same. 

Mibuchi gags after taking the medicine, but he manages to keep it down. Tetsuya gestures to the bed he’d been resting in, shrinking his trunk and storing it in his satchel once more. As he slings the satchel over his shoulder, he looks at Mibuchi and suggests, “You should lie down and rest for a while. I need to look for Akashi-san and discuss some matters with him.”

Mibuchi frowns worriedly. “Are you sure? You just woke up from fainting, after all… Aren’t you hungry or thirsty?” Mibuchi persists, his concern levels rising significantly. Tetsuya is once more surprised, but he shakes his head.

“No, I’m not. I have a very small appetite. I’ll be alright on my own for a while,” Tetsuya explains. Although, now that he stops to consider it, he would appreciate some food. However, his work isn’t nearly done yet, so he has no time to indulge in such things.

Mibuchi reluctantly moves over to the bed, so Tetsuya begins to leave once he knows the elf has taken heed to his advice. “If you say so…” Mibuchi trails off, obviously waiting for Tetsuya to retract his answer. Tetsuya sighs softly and shakes his head to himself, stepping out and closing the door behind him.

Tetsuya isn’t sure where he is, but it seems to be a multi-floored building filled with different elves. Perhaps it’s the barracks of the elves? Tetsuya had gotten the impression earlier that the elves didn’t really live in individual houses, considering the rather large population and lack of homey buildings.

Tetsuya sees a relatively healthy-looking elf nearby, their only signs of disease the paleness of their complexion. “Excuse me,” Tetsuya speaks up, startling the elf, who jumps and looks at him with wide eyes. He seems even more surprised when he sees the wings on Tetsuya’s back. Ignoring the stare, Tetsuya introduces himself. “I’m Kuroko Tetsuya, the faerie Akashi-san brought back as a healer. I’ve developed a medicine for the disease your clan has, and I’ve given it to Mibuchi-san. There shouldn’t be any negative side-effects, but can you stay with him and watch over him for me? Should any negative signs arrive, please come find me right away.”

“Uh… sure…” The elf answers slowly, still in shock. Tetsuya bows in thanks and then shows him which room Mibuchi is in. With that done, Tetsuya quickly makes his way down the nearby staircase, arriving in the middle of a lobby. There are some elves around, but most of them are resting on couches. Some of their coughs make Tetsuya wince.

He finds the exit easily enough due to the looming double doors engraved with intricate gold trim. He passes through them into the cool night air, and as soon as he steps outside, he notices that it’s a sleepless night in the fort.

Many elves are fishing out the vines from the rivers, or pulling them down from the walls and buildings. There are even vines covering the ground, but no one is bothering to pick them up yet. The main priorities seem to be the rivers and walls.

Due to the activities, Tetsuya deduces that the best place to look for Akashi is at the source of the infestation. Unfortunately, he can’t quite tell which way the center is, so he ends up walking aimlessly for a good few minutes until, surprisingly, he’s spotted by an elf.

“Hey, you’re the faerie Akashi brought back!” The elf exclaims, surprised. His hair is black, and his eyes glint grayish-silver in the night. He’s dressed simply in trousers and a long-sleeved shirt. Despite the fact that he must be sick as well, he seems lively.

Tetsuya doesn’t detect any hostility from the elf despite his status, so he decides to ask him for directions. “Yes, I am. I’m actually looking for Akashi-san right now. Do you have any idea where he is?” Tetsuya inquires. Some of the other elves stopped working to puzzle over who the elf Tetsuya is conversing with was talking to, and now they stare at Tetsuya in clear surprise. They must have noticed him after he spoke.

The elf’s eyes light up. “Yeah, I do! Come with me. Guys, I’m gonna leave for a bit,” he tells the other elves, who nod, still staring at Tetsuya curiously. Tetsuya ignores the uncomfortable feeling crawling under his skin. Ever since the beginning of his life, he’s been saddled with a hate for being observed like an interesting specimen. He supposes most people wouldn’t like that, anyway.

The elf begins to lead the way, so Tetsuya gladly follows him so that he can get out of the spotlight. “By the way, my name’s Izuki Shun,” he introduces himself, voice still relatively upbeat. Tetsuya can understand his good mood; after all, the infestation is finally gone. “I’m one of Shirogane-san’s advisors, and my puns are on point!”

Tetsuya is a little befuddled by the last bit, but he introduces himself as well. “My name is Kuroko Tetsuya. It’s nice to meet you.”

Izuki chuckles. “No need to be so formal,” he dismisses, catching Tetsuya off-guard. He wonders how such a carefree person can be one of the most important people in this clan. But, he shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Izuki must be quite wise to be an advisor.

They emerge on the other side of an alleyway, and Izuki points. “There he is. They’re still working on getting that damned root out of the pool,” Izuki notes, his voice taking on a bitter tone.

Sure enough, Akashi is standing next to the pool with a few other elves, Shirogane among them, and seems to be discussing how to uproot the center of the infestation. Tetsuya doesn’t dare to approach since the meeting seems serious, but Akashi notices him out of the corner of his eye. The red-haired elf raises his hand in a signal for Tetsuya to come over, so Tetsuya makes his way toward him. Izuki trails after him, waving to Shirogane who turns around to see what distracted Akashi.

“Hey, leader,” Izuki greets with a grin. He nods to Akashi in acknowledgment with a quieter, “Hey, vice-leader.” Akashi nods, but he’s still staring at Tetsuya as he comes to a stop before him.

Tetsuya bows formally. “Hello, Shirogane-sama, Akashi-san,” he says, respectfully.

“Straighten up, Tetsuya,” Akashi commands, which Tetsuya finds strange. Shouldn’t it be Shirogane who releases him from his position? But when he obeys, he notices that Shirogane doesn’t seem to care. Perhaps it’s a common occurrence…? Or maybe Akashi has more influence than he’d thought…

“Izuki, you could learn some manners from this faerie,” Shirogane shoots a pointed look at the easygoing elf, who chuckles awkwardly. But Tetsuya can feel the mischief in his emotions—so he’s just teasing Izuki, despite how serious he looks. Tetsuya hides his smile, but the glint in Akashi’s eyes tells him that at least one person noticed.

“Are you sure you should be walking around, Tetsuya?” Akashi asks, tilting his head to the side as if to better stare him down. Tetsuya knows he isn’t exactly concerned about his health, but he’s asking it more for formality’s sake. He still wishes he could get a hold of Akashi’s emotions. He doesn’t understand how Akashi blocks Tetsuya’s power to such an extent.

“Yes, I’ll be fine. I have important matters to discuss with you that can’t wait,” Tetsuya states, voice taking on a weary edge at the thought of the work ahead of him. While he doesn’t want to interrupt their discussion, it really is urgent that Tetsuya explains the situation to Akashi.

Akashi gazes into his eyes for a long moment, as if picking apart his brain to deduce whether or not Tetsuya is lying. Tetsuya feels a prick of annoyance. He wouldn’t waste Akashi’s time for nothing. “Very well,” he finally acknowledges. He glances at Shirogane, who has been observing their conversation instead of speaking with Izuki. “Tetsuya needs my time. Please continue discussing the plans while I’m gone.” Despite how one would think the last sentence would come off as polite, Tetsuya notices that Akashi’s usual aura completely ruins the courteousness of the word ‘please.’ Shirogane doesn’t seem to mind how Akashi almost comes off as rude and nods.

Taking that as their dismissal, Akashi begins to walk away, so Tetsuya follows him. He leads him away from the center and into one of the streets. Akashi finds a bench in a relatively quiet are and gestures for him to sit down. They sit a respectful distance away from each other. Akashi looks over at Tetsuya expectantly, giving him permission to speak.

Tetsuya takes out a notepad bound with a hardy vine from his satchel. Taking out an enchanted feather as well, he begins to write down the ingredients for the medicine in blue ink. “I spoke with Mibuchi-san when I woke up,” Tetsuya begins, scrunching his nose a little when he accidentally ruins a word. He brushes the feather over the word, erasing it, and then continues. “He informed me of the symptoms of the disease. With that information, I deduced it doesn’t seem particularly harmful and just needs a relatively simple remedy. I’ve already given a dose of medicine to Mibuchi-san, and I asked another elf to watch over him while I speak to you. However, I will need more supplies if I’m to make medicine for every elf in your clan. May I go out and gather supplies?”

Tetsuya finishes by showing a list of the ingredients to Akashi. The elf quickly skims over the list, expression thoughtful. “You can’t go out now,” Akashi refuses. When Tetsuya opens his mouth to protest, assuming Akashi thinks he will run away, Akashi shakes his head and interrupts him. “It’s not that I think you will try to escape. I know you’re not that foolish nor cowardly. Right now, it’s late, so there are predators out. While I believe in your capability, you said it yourself: you aren’t good at being on the offensive. I can’t accompany you, either, since I have prior obligations. We will just have to wait until morning to attend to this matter. For now, make as much medicine as you can. I will decide who the medicine goes to first. Of course, the first dose will be given to Shirogane-san.”

Tetsuya looks down, feeling guilty for not giving their leader the first dose. Akashi, unsurprisingly, lets out a bemused chuckle at his guilt. “It fits your character to feel guilty over something like this. Reo being the first to receive treatment is fine. In any case, begin working on the medicine. I have to go back to the meeting; will you be alright on your own?” Akashi asks, handing him his notepad.

Tetsuya is surprised to find his question genuine. If Tetsuya needs guidance, Akashi will accompany him instead. Despite the oddity of this revelation, Tetsuya finds himself tempted to ask Akashi to stay with him so that he doesn’t get lost once more. But, knowing that the elves need Akashi more, Tetsuya tucks his notepad against his chest and smiles softly. “I’ll be fine. Please go back to your meeting.”

Akashi nods, standing up. He pauses for a moment as if considering something, his eyes traveling back over to Tetsuya. Before Tetsuya can ask if he needs something, Akashi suddenly nods once more and then strides away without adding anything. Tetsuya watches him go, slightly confused. For a moment, he thought he sensed reluctance in Akashi’s emotions.

But that must have been his imagination.

* * *

 

At the beginning of the night, Tetsuya had had to find his way back to the inn to gather the leftover medicine in his old room. He’d managed to slip by unnoticed by the elf assigned to watch over Mibuchi. After making sure the elf didn’t accidentally (or purposely) add anything to the medicine, Tetsuya had given the first dose to Shirogane.

For the rest of the night, Tetsuya is awake giving out medicine. Akashi grants him a table and two chairs near the source in the middle of the fort, and he tells him to give out medicine to the elves that visit the table. By this time, Mibuchi has arrived and is feeling much better due to the medicine. Since he’s feeling better, Akashi sends him to fetch specific elves. Tetsuya isn’t sure what the status of the elves are, but Mibuchi never questions why he picked them and actually seems to understand why Akashi chooses who he chooses to be given medicine.

By the time the sun begins to rise, the elves who were given medicine are feeling much better. Tetsuya had insisted on giving Akashi a preemptive dose as well; while he doubted the sickness was contagious, Akashi _was_ exposed for a period of time, so it was only appropriate that Akashi drink some medicine as well even if he didn’t feel any symptoms. Akashi had accepted the medicine with no qualms, and didn’t even wince at the taste unlike the majority of elves.

Tetsuya has run out of medicine by now and is instead resting on the table, not quite sleeping but not quite awake either. Because of this, he’s still aware of his surroundings, and when he feels someone approach him from behind, his shoulders tense and his wings fold down. Feeling the surprise from the person behind him, Tetsuya opens his eyes and squints against the early morning light, glancing behind him to find Mibuchi standing there.

“Is there something I can assist you with?” Tetsuya asks, warily, as he sits up in his chair and turns slightly to face the elf.

Mibuchi blinks, snapping out of his stupor. “Ah,” he sounds slightly embarrassed, as if caught in the middle of something he didn’t wish to be known. “I’m sorry—it’s just… I was too distracted earlier, but you have very beautiful wings.” Tetsuya observes his emotions carefully. Admiration, and maybe a little infatuation… He resists the urge to sigh. It will always be his wings that catches someone else’s attention. Everything else about him is unremarkable.

“Thank you,” Tetsuya dips his head and accepts the compliment without argument, unwilling to have a repeat of his conversation with Akashi. While he doubts Mibuchi would take the same route as Akashi toward this subject, he doesn’t want to have any sort of prolonged discussion about his wings. “Please refrain from touching them, though. I… do not like it when other people touch them,” Tetsuya explains, carefully. He knows Mibuchi had meant to touch them earlier; some faeries might have been alright with that, but Tetsuya isn’t one of them.

Mibuchi smiles sheepishly. “I’d guessed from your reaction. Sorry if I scared you," he apologizes in a softer voice, sincere. Tetsuya’s shoulders relax, and he finds himself smiling a little.

“It’s alright.” Adopting a more mischievous air, Tetsuya peers up at Mibuchi in amusement. “I think I know someone you’d like. He’s prettier than I am as well,” he notes, unable to help the small chuckle that escapes him. Of course, the person he’s referring to is Himuro. Himuro can make people fall in love with him by just existing. Tetsuya would like to say he thinks it’s unfair how Himuro is so naturally handed things in life—but that’s not true at all. Perhaps for more frivolous things, but as for the things he actually cares about…

Tetsuya doesn’t let his mind stray down that path for what feels like the hundredth time.

(Maybe the reason why they get along so well is because they’re similar in many aspects.)

Mibuchi is surprised, but he smiles widely soon. “Really? I’d love to meet him,” he says in a playful voice, winking at Tetsuya. Tetsuya hides his smile behind his hand. Who knows what would happen if those two were to be in the same room, though.

… No, he can imagine. Poor Himuro. He always finds it awkward when people flirt with him.

“Maybe one day,” Tetsuya decides, buying some time for his unfortunate friend. “Ah, by the way, I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

Mibuchi doesn’t seem to mind the subject change. “Well, it’s all thanks to you. And, also, I didn’t thank you earlier for helping us. Thank you,” he bows slightly, his emotions sincere. Tetsuya’s eyes widen a little.

He never would have imagined the Rakuzan elves treating him well. Even if he did help them, he hadn’t expected to be accepted so kindly.

Tetsuya is unsure what to say. He hadn’t fought in their last war with Rakuzan, merely because he wasn’t suited for it. However, he did heal many faeries that were injured by the elves, and prayed at the graves of more. Remembering the nights where he woke up due to nightmares of blood on his hands from treating so many, he wonders how time could have changed things so much.

Is it just because he didn’t actively participate… or are the Rakuzan elves not as violent as he’d imagined? Have they mellowed over time?

Staring at him in worry, Mibuchi leans down a bit and frowns at Tetsuya. “Are you alright?” He asks, concerned. Again, it’s genuine.

Tetsuya feels conflicted. But, knowing that he can’t tell the other how he feels, he nods reassuringly. “I’m fine. I apologize; I became lost in thought. I appreciate your gratitude, but you do not have to thank me. I only did what any person with a good conscience would do,” he replies in dismissal. Upon sensing that Mibuchi is ready to argue with him, he stands quickly, gathering his things. “I’m sorry, but I have to speak with Akashi-san about the supply gathering. I will see you later.” Bowing quickly, he hurries off in search of Akashi without looking back.

He sighs under his breath. He hadn’t meant to be so rude in his departure, but he didn’t want to start an argument with Mibuchi. Besides, what he said was the truth. Any decent person would have helped them. Tetsuya just happened to be the person Akashi hand-picked for the task.

Speaking of Akashi, Tetsuya isn’t sure where he is right now. After they’d determined that they’d need more manpower to uproot the source, Akashi had disappeared to supervise the rest of the clean-up.

Luckily, it doesn’t take very long for Tetsuya to find him. He runs into the elf on one of the wide streets—if he recalls Akashi’s brief overview correctly, this street is named Natsu. Four streets are named after the seasons, and the street leading up to the leader’s mansion is named Shiro, in honor of the many years Shirogane has served as the clan’s leader.

Akashi is assisting a group of elves who are trying to pull an ugly mess of vines down. The vines have completely covered the windows and door of a building, and they seem to be hard to pull off. As Tetsuya watches, Akashi signals for the other elves to step back, and then he pulls out a handful of something from his pocket. To Tetsuya’s surprise, he recognizes what Akashi is about to do. He hadn’t realized the elf was capable of such a thing, though.

Akashi throws a handful of small seeds at the vines, and as it arcs in the air, Akashi mutters a quick spell, setting the seeds ablaze. It makes quick work of the vines, and when the vines have disintegrated, Akashi ceases the fire with another spell. Since the building is made out of stone, it remains unaffected by the fire except for a few scorch marks.

The elves thank Akashi for his help, but the redhead dismisses the praise. He’s dusting off his hands when he notices Tetsuya watching him. Half a smirk appears on his face momentarily before he turns toward him and begins walking.

Tetsuya bows in greeting when he comes close. “Good morning, Akashi-san,” he says, flatly. He’s a bit fascinated, though, something Akashi obviously noticed earlier.

“Good morning, Tetsuya,” Akashi returns in a voice that can only be described as smug. Tetsuya lifts his head and resists the urge to frown disapprovingly at his more-or-less keeper. Even if Tetsuya is interested in his level of magical prowess, he doesn’t need to sound so smug over such a simple thing. “I suppose you’ve found me out?”

Tetsuya formulates his answer carefully. His question could infer that he hid a high level of magic from him—but he honestly doubts it does. Akashi would not have sought his help if he could have taken care of the problem himself. “Yes… in a way. You…” Tetsuya considers him once more, gaze thoughtful. He takes off one of his gloves and closes his eyes, letting his magic feel the area out. The elves nearby have very low magic levels, but as for Akashi…

Tetsuya opens his eyes with a tiny smile. “You’re slightly above-average, which is impressive for an elf. I’m not very surprised,” Tetsuya admits, tugging his glove back onto his hand. Akashi gives off the impression that he excels at everything, after all.

Akashi tilts his head, and Tetsuya feels that he’s bemused by his answer. He can’t help but view it as a false victory—Akashi clearly controls what he wants Tetsuya to know and what he doesn’t. “You’re correct. I don’t use magic very often, since I don’t need to, but I did train in case I ever needed it. At times like this, it’s convenient.” His expression becomes slightly disgruntled. “Izuki-san destroyed all the matches by accident a few days ago. It’s too tedious for us to start a fire without them, but burning the vines like that is dangerous anyway. It’s safer to use a spell if we’re going to burn them.”

Tetsuya nods in agreement. “That way, you can stop the fire before it gets out of hand, right?”

Akashi sends him an approving glance. “That’s right. Anyway, I assume you need something from me. Is it about the supplies?” He asks, already sounding sure of himself. _So tedious._ Nevertheless, Tetsuya nods in affirmation. “Well then, I’ve decided that you should stay here. We could use your help in cleaning up. I’ll send a few elves to gather the supplies for you. Give me the list once more,” Akashi orders, holding his hand out.

Tetsuya feels some trepidation in allowing someone else to gather the supplies, but he knows that the elves wouldn’t purposely gather the wrong ingredients. He pulls his notepad out of his satchel and rips out the sheet of ingredients, handing it to Akashi.

Akashi looks it over again before calling for some of the nearby elves. He gives them the orders, which they comply to without question. Tetsuya can’t help but be a little awed by how easily Akashi can order people around. When Hanamiya hands out orders, he’s normally met with reluctance and skepticism since Hanamiya’s reputation isn’t the best. But Akashi…

Everyone seems to trust him wholeheartedly.

Admirable, and a tad intimidating.

Akashi glances at him after the elves are gone, and once more he offers his hand to him. Tetsuya eyes it dubiously, hesitantly stretching his notepad toward it. Akashi lifts an eyebrow. “Try again,” he refuses, looking at Tetsuya meaningfully. Tetsuya reluctantly stows away his notepad and places his hand in Akashi’s. _Not that I understand what this strange person is doing._

Akashi looks vaguely amused as if he can read his thoughts. Tetsuya wouldn’t put it past the enigmatic elf. “Hold on,” Akashi warns, and Tetsuya is reminded of yesterday morning. It occurs to him belatedly how physically gifted elves are, and he finds himself holding in a yelp and gripping Akashi’s hand for dear life when the elf suddenly leaps into the air, aiming for the roof of a nearby two-story building. “I can tell that you don’t like flying, so you’ll have to bear with me,” Akashi adds, as he lands safely on the roof.

Tetsuya honestly considers shrinking so he doesn’t have to deal with his stomach dropping when Akashi jumps. Sadly, he has no time to do so before Akashi is off again, presumably heading toward somewhere that needs cleaning.

He remembers, when he was watching Akashi commandeer the meeting so effortlessly last night, wondering if the elf had a side that was a bit… looser. This isn’t exactly what he’d had in mind, in many different ways.

And he will keep telling himself that the tight grip on his hand is only comforting because he doesn’t want to fall, not for some other reason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _mmmmhmmm_
> 
> eh I still feel 'meh' about akashi. despite the fact that he's boku, I felt a little lightheartedness was needed at the end of the chapter. idk if that was ooc though im tired 
> 
> okay another note. magic 101 this time lmao. there are different forms of magic, but to classify it more simply... there are some like kuroko, who are naturally gifted in magic and can cast with ease. then there are others (ak) who need to work at their magic, and normally these people will use a medium to cast magic. in this chapter akashi used bird seed to cast his magic. while he set it on fire, he could have frozen it, poisoned it, or even electrified it. ppl who aren't gifted naturally in magic have a more difficult time using different types of magic, so they usually prefer to specialize in magic involving mediums. same goes for akashi. 
> 
> anyway I didn't mean for it to be so complicated, but yeah. I'd imagine the spells are said in a different language, not some silly rhyme, but I am unwilling to make my own language or study Latin for this, so. when they use spells, I'll mention it but not verbalize it. too difficult for such a lazy person gg (actually when I have to mention magic I like using singular command words, but I decided to ditch that for this story. I've made my life more difficult haven't I)
> 
> ah, I forgot. elves are extremely gifted physically, able to jump to great heights and run at unnatural speeds. as you might assume, they also have excellent reflexes, but even they're not immune to kuroko's weak presence. anyway, this is basically why elves excel at war. they're virtually unmatched when it comes to physical ability. (they're a bit op tbh. they really needed that magic drawback)
> 
> truth be told idk how to write reo or izuki, but I happen to like them and they... sort of... fit for rakuzan... well I needed _at least_ one rakuzan person with akashi and hayama is blond and nebuya... well you know. idk he could still be an elf I guess. as for mayu... /snickers
> 
> I’m sorry if it’s totally awful. around 3k of this was part of the original thing, but I realized that 3k is way too short after the first chapter so I started writing again. part of me wishes I didn’t part of me is like ‘yeah’ anyway rn I’m in a bit of a rush bc I still gotta eat dinner and yup. thanks reading my whole long end note lol

**Author's Note:**

> tbh more than ever since eg I don’t like writing akashi purely bc he’s difficult to write IC, especially when you’re trying to balance both boku and ore bUT I felt like boku kind of fit the au. my only annoyance so far is that he came out softer than I wished toward the end (squints at ak complimenting kr on his capability), but tbh idek anymore save me (don't even get me started on himuro, is2g I never characterize him right)
> 
> I tried to make it as light as I possibly could with the whole ‘first meeting thing’ and it being boku and I think it came out sorta okay? like... it wasn’t super sad or anything (I actually enjoyed not writing angst for once since I seem to only write angst now)
> 
> sorry again that it’s terribly long but I had no idea where to cut it. I felt like I needed to add the ending scenes bc it showed more akkr interaction instead of all my lame world-building stuff, so
> 
> quick notes about them: faeries are born from flowers instead of childbirth (yes they are literally spit out of flowers), and their wings are insect-ish as I’m sure you imagined. wings have their own unique colors and flowers for every faerie, and the flowers do have meaning (i.e. himuro’s bittersweet flowers mean truth or so I’ve heard). faeries also have a unique power to be able to read another person’s emotions, hence kuroko pointing out levels of emotion in this. elves are all-around good fighters and prefer to live in large groups, have good connections with most animals, and have a unique power as well, but no comment on what that is yet (if you wanna know about akashi’s ‘third eye’ uHM...)
> 
> I know this is sort of a weird spin on mythology and fantasy stuff, but a lot of it is inspired by an mbti post that I feel too lazy to find the link of rn, but yeah. I was looking for mythology ideas, and I found the post in my archives
> 
> anyway I’ll post ‘part 2′ which is shorter sometime soon since I basically have it done. All in all the first chapter was going to be 10k words but I?? didn’t want it to be that long so I split it. very unevenly. apologies.
> 
> I researched this more than I care to admit to


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